Kebenei Makes Season Debut in Steeplechase at Payton Jordan

BY ANDRES FOCIL

PALO ALTO, Calif. — Stanley Kebenei competed in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Payton Jordan Invitational on Sunday, his first appearance in the event this season. Kebenei made a bold statement in his debut, crossing the finish line in 8:40.12, surpassing the previous top-Southeastern Conference performance by 11 seconds. In addition to taking over the SEC leaderboard, Kebenei also moves into the No. 3 spot in the nation to easily qualify for the NCAA Regionals. “It was a good opener for him in the steeplechase,” said Head Coach Chris Bucknam. “I’m looking forward to seeing if he can improve on that at the end of the month at the NCAA West Preliminaries. He ran a good race and got his qualifier, I’m proud of him.”

Kebenei’s last steeplechase performance was last year at the 2013 NCAA Outdoor Championships, crossing the finish line in a personal-best time of 8:24.45. On Sunday, he was the runner-up collegiate finisher behind defending NCAA Champion Anthony Rotich of UTEP. The No. 3 Razorbacks will take the weekend off in preparation for the SEC Outdoor Championships May 15-18 in Lexington, Ky. For more information on Razorback Track and Field, follow @RazorbackTF on Twitter. Payton Jordan Invitational